Posts Tagged ‘different ways’

Fate vs. Destiny

// June 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // My Thoughts

Predestination…  a very simple word… however this word is a minefield when you bring it up in christian circles… I think the real problem these days is that people would really like to understand predestination but when all the cards are on the table… somehow they feel robbed or something..

so lets work out a simple logical path..

Step 1)   I decide to go for a ride

  • I have no idea where I am going

Step 2) I get in my car and start driving south… and at some point I decide that I am going to Louisiana to visit family.

  • there is an infinite amount of choices of roads that I can take to begin the journey
  • many of the choices are completely ridiculous
  • there are a few most logical choices to make
  • at any intersection I can make another choice to take another road.
  • some of the choices that I make may make the trip longer… or faster, more enjoyable or completely excruciating.
  • the closer that I get to Louisiana the same infinite number of choices exist however many of them do not make sense to me as long as my destination is still Louisiana…

step 3) I arrive in Louisiana

  • thus my choice to go for a drive resulted in me ending up in Louisiana

so to summarize… my choice to go for a drive resulted in possibly thousands of small choices… what roads to take.. how fast to drive, when to stop, whether to be nice or ugly to other drivers… however the only real choice that gave me the result of a destination to arrive at  ultimately was the choice to go to Louisiana.   if we were to make all of the other smaller choices all over again a thousand different ways and times.. ultimately all of them would eventually still get me to my destination of Louisiana. because I chose Louisiana as my destination.

In the same way we choose our destiny… and while we may refuse to beleive it every choice that we will ever make has already been made. God sees all of our choices instantly… and ultimately only one choice counts… do we accept Jesus as our sacrifice? or do we reject him?

so when we look at

Romans 8:28-30 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according go his purpose. 29) For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren; 30) and whom he predestined, these he also called; and whom he called, these he also justified; and whom he justified, these he also glorified.

what we see is that God foreknew or saw our ultimate choice and he predestined us… (set our destination to be conformed in the image of Christ)  sure he knows all of our other choices but ultimately the choice to accept Jesus Christ is the one that every other choice is colored by.

To me this is an incredibly elegant design that allows for both our free will and yet shows the ultimate sovereignity of God. It also explains a lot about Grace and why it is such an integral part of God’s plan.

I love the way the Oracle explains choice to NEO in the movie the matrix.

Oracle: Candy?
Neo: Do you already know if I’m going to take it?
Oracle: Wouldn’t be much of an oracle if I didn’t.
Neo: But if you already know, how could I make a choice?
Oracle: Because you didn’t come here to make the choice. You already made it. You’re here to try to understand why you made it

Fate is what a person resigns themselves to because they believe that they have no choice.

Destiny is when a person chooses to make choices.

I hope this made you think a little about predestination…

Tags: Art, beleive, choice, choices, christian, christian circles, destiny, different ways, Family, God, jesus, jesus christ, louisiana, Love, sacrifice, step 1, step 3

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Genius… finding something, and Foo Fighters?!

// January 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // My Music, My Thoughts

Don’t you love finding something that you had no idea you owned? It’s almost better that getting something you always wanted! There is just something about finding out you already own something you didn’t know you wanted yet!

Well recently I have been jamming to the Foo Fighters album on iTunes, and iTunes has a cool function now called genius that finds songs similar to the one you are listening to. Well, I clicked genius and up comes a song by Jars of Clay called “Work” and I re-discovered it!

It is a great song I was really hit by the lyrics and how they describe a struggle similar to my post Obsession… Gratification… Peace What really grabbed me the most are the following lines from the lyrics..

“I have no fear of drowning, it’s the breathing that’s taking all this work”

“Now all the demons look like prophets and I’m living out
every word they speak, every word they speak”

The great thing about songs is that the lyrics can be interpreted a million different ways… But to me this song seems to be about the struggles of materialism, and how empty it is… How we use things to fill our emptiness, alone-ness, and how we struggle against the constant undertow of materialism…trying to breathe! -“I have no fear of drowning, it’s the breathing that’s taking all this work”

I also see our struggles with the materialistic nature of television and how we are constantly bombarded with the “things we need” and how we just “live out every word they speak” by buying into all the hype… “Now all the demons look like prophets and I’m living out
every word they speak, every word they speak”

Listening to the “Good Monsters” album and There are some pretty good songs there!

so check out the lyrics of “Work”

Just in case, I will leave my things packed so I can run away
I cannot trust these voices

I don’t have a line of prospects that can give some kind of peace
There is nothing left to cling to that can bring me sweet release
I have no fear of drowning, it’s the breathing that’s taking all this work

Do you know what I mean when I say, ‘I don’t want to be alone.’
What I mean when I say, ‘I don’t want to be alone.’

Empty spaces, shadows hit by street lights
warning signs and weight of tired conversations

In the absence of a shoulder, in the abscess of a thief
On the brink of this destruction, on the eve of bittersweet
Now all the demons look like prophets and I’m living out
every word they speak, every word they speak

Do you know what I mean when I say, ‘I don’t want to be alone, ‘
What I mean when I say, ‘I don’t want to be alone’
What I mean when I say, ‘I don’t want to be alone.’

Do you know what I mean when I say, ‘I don’t want to be alone.’….
I have no fear of drowning. It’s the breathing that’s taking all this work.
Copyright 2006 Jars of clay

Tags: blog, different ways, Family, fear, foo fighters, Fun, gratification, hype, Love, materialism, My Music, obsession, peace, sin, unplugged, warning

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Music news…

// January 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // My Music

Music for me is an “on and off” thing… I may write the lyrics to a song for 3 weeks straight and then shelve it for a month before looking at it again. The result is a song that has survived several revisions of both lyrics, meter, and music. One of the great things about working this way is that I really do not get tired of the song too quickly because I only work on it infrequently instead of beating it to death 11 different ways.

I know I talked about finishing writing a song “Collin’s Song” well that was revision 2 of the lyrics. The music is still a few weeks off. I picked it up today and fiddled around with a few licks and some backing stuff but just felt like I was pushing too hard. so I saved my work and put it away until I am inspired once again to pick it up.

But tonight!… I picked up the remix of “Breathe” and wow.. it is really coming along! Breathe is probably my most polished song and is pretty much ready for mixing and mastering. The original “Breathe” track from the Exiztance EP was for all practical purposes a bootleg track. I got several comments about vocals not being clear and other things. So I went back to the drawing board and learned a bit about mixing and finally decided that I needed professional help. Since my biggest problem with music is financing I am planning to release singles one at a time instead of an entire album, This will allow me to release a song or two every few months based on my financial ability.

Anyways! “Breathe” is in the final stages, “Roar” is about halfway done, “A Moment” is probably a third done. and several others, including “Collin’s Song” are Lyrics only /w some basic music.

I really got into the production of “Breathe” once I decided to remix it. The remix features some very serious orchestral backing that really launches it to a new level… The problem is taming the beast! with over 50 separate tracks the mixdown will be pure agony! but I think once it is done all the blood sweat and tears will be worth it!

I tend to be a very harsh critic of my own work but somehow these songs that I have written recently have me very excited and hoping that they just might be good enough to catch the ear of the general public and actually be popular.

who knows.. anyways… that’s the news!

Tags: different ways, music, My Music, sin

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